Beginning on August 14th 2016, due to the implementation in Brazil of the 1961 Hague Convention (“The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents”, known as the “Apostille Convention”), Brazilian Consulates will no longer legalize foreign documents issued by countries which are also a party to the 1961 Hague Convention.

As the United States of America is a party to the Convention, the Consulate General of Brazil in New York will no longer legalize documents issued in the states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, which will be accepted in Brazil only with an apostille issued by the competent authority in these states.

As the United Kingdom is also a party to the Convention, the Consulate General of Brazil in New York will no longer legalize documents issued in the Bermuda Islands (which is part of its jurisdiction), which will be accepted in Brazil only with an apostille issued by the competent by the competent authority in that territory.

1) CONSULAR AUTHENTICATION

The Consulate General of Brazil in New York will continue to authenticate:

a) signatures from Brazilian nationals and foreigners with "RNE (Registro Nacional de Estrangeiro)"; and

b) photocopies of Brazilian documents (accompanied by the original).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Foreign documents legalized by Brazilian Consulates and Embassies by August 14th, 2016, will be valid in Brazil until February 14th, 2017 (article 20 of the Resolução CNJ nº 228, from 06/22/2016). From then on, documents will only be valid if legalized by the competent foreign authority.

2) APOSTILLE

Examples of documents which will no longer be legalized by the Consulate (and need to be certified with an apostille by the competent authorities):

i) Public documents issued by foreign institutions (American and from Bermuda Islands), such as:

- Birth, marriage and death certificates;

- Notarial acts (public power of attorney, will, etc);

- Court documents (adoption, divorce, custody of minors, etc); or

- Documents issued by schools and universities.

ii) Private documents previously certified by Notary Public and County Clerk, such as:

- Private power of attorney;

- Private statements;

- Travel authorization forms, except for Brazilian citizens and foreign nationals who have “RNE” and attend in person to the Consulate, in order to proceed the signature authentication;

- Authorization forms to issue passports for minors, except for Brazilians and foreign nationals who have RNE and attend in person to the Consulate, in order to proceed the signature authentication; or

Brazilian documents will only be accepted in the United States and in Bermuda Islands after receiving an apostille issued by the competent Brazilian authority in Brazil. Therefore, the Consulate General does not issue apostille for Brazilian documents.

The Consulate does not endorse agencies, brokers or companies that provide consular services. The Consulate also does not offer special terms for them. For your safety, always consult our website or contact us (preferably by email).